— I. Genesis, the Logos and the Beginnings.

I. Genesis, the Logos and the Beginnings:

— A. Background:

In The Beginning:

If you had to pick a handful of the most controversial issues in the world, creation would have to be among them. Was the world literally created all at once, with two people named Adam and Eve right there at Earth’s beginnings? Or are we to read Genesis less as journalism and more as symbolism? If there is a middle ground, what is it, and could a self-respecting traditional Catholic possibly occupy a middle ground?

We can hardly settle that here, though we certainly welcome Comments on it at the bottom of the page. But the fact is that the modern Church has allowed, to some extent, for something akin to, or at least workable with, evolution to be possible as long as certain threshold beliefs are still accepted. The universe was created. At one point human beings became human beings, and when this occurred they were given a soul, and with that soul the ability to communicate with God. Beyond those key points lies the great debate.

Modernists, who by definition eschew anything as “dimwitted” as the supernatural, may have trouble even accepting these key points. Traditionalists, who look to the great faith history of the Church, might have trouble straying from a literal reading of Genesis.

Some things are certain: Whatever is true is of God; whatever is true is universally true (no you do not get your own “truth”); despite the claims of some scientists, we really don’t know the full truth right now, and finally that the New Testament teaches us that Jesus Christ was the “word” mentioned in the beginning of Genesis. That puts the doctrine of the “Logos“–its history, application and accompanying truths within the topics of this section.

The links below are meant to educate you on the debate, the history and the differing sides. By no means do we claim this is everything there is to know. We want your comments below, and any links you think we should post on this topic.

– Genesis to Jesus: Free online course by Catholic Bible scholar Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center reviewing the Old Testament and how it points to the first coming of Jesus Christ. (Video discussion with Dr. Hahn, Part One, Part Two.)

– Misreading Genesis: A Word on Fire video by Bishop Robert Barron refuting accusations that Genesis is “bad science” by atheists, but asserting that when reading each book of the Bible, Catholics should consider the type of book it is and the style in which it is written.